Sure Fire Modes to Move Past Fear

movepastfearOver the last several years, I have had many Loan Officers ask me to help them with their goal of delving into the world of video marketing.

Now, this particular goal is nothing to sneeze at especially as it seems to tap into a lot of people’s personal vulnerabilities and insecurities.

Coming up with creative topics, writing scripts, reviewing video footage, and providing constructive feedback is routine for me as a Business Coach in helping my clients to implement this particular goal.

Not as routine, but quite frequently, I’m presented with the challenge of helping my clients to tackle certain mindsets that hamper their ability to take certain risks, stretch out of their comfort zones, or do things they’ve never done before. Everyone’s level of fear and anxiety is different, but we all experience these challenging feelings from time to time in our careers.

So, how does anybody ever go from wanting to do something that they feel fearful and anxious about to actually doing the thing they feel fearful and anxious about? The solutions, you’ll be glad to know, are simple and applicable to most professionals feeling stumped or at a mental stand-still in the face of their desired goals.

First of all, you’ll need to separate whether the particular goal that is causing you angst is actually of real interest to you or just a “should” that is unnecessarily eating up your brain-space.

To clarify this point, let’s use video marketing as the example goal.

Due to the explosion of YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, and the like, there are hundreds of webinars, eBooks, and on-line classes, all geared toward teaching business owners how to successfully use video marketing across these social platforms as the best way to grow a business, gain market share, and remain relevant with today’s consumers.

Now, I happen to agree with them, BUT if deep down inside you simply don’t have a case of the “Gotta-Do-Its” about releasing your own videos for the world to view, critique, and share, AND you can honestly say that if you never did one single video in your lifetime, you wouldn’t suffer from regrets, then you’ve got your answer…Video isn’t a goal for you. Stop beating your head against the same brick wall and focus your attention on a goal that actually excites you.

However, for those of you not of the camp described above, who still feel deep envy every time you see yet another Mortgage Professional taking the plunge and putting out their own videos across social media, the following three creative approaches can absolutely propel you past your fears so that you can realize your goals once and for all, not just regarding video, but ANY goal!

Go Public – There’s a lot of power in stating your goals publicly, and it’s a super-charged way of holding yourself accountable to sticking with your most challenging tasks. A great approach is to begin a weekly post series on Facebook or LinkedIn regarding your specific goal and the fears you are tackling.

Your connections have a lot more empathy than you think and will surprise you with their positive comments, tips, and encouragement. This is a way to “grease the wheels” so to speak, as making a public proclamation will stir an overwhelming urge in you to get moving fast so you can celebrate each victory in a new post. Plus, sharing a chronicle of your journey not only helps you, but could help others facing similar obstacles.

If social exposure of this magnitude isn’t in your comfort zone, then scale it down to a more private core group of trusted colleagues. You could make your goal known to 5-10 peers whom you admire, or if you have a team, share your intentions, hopes, and reservations with them.

Whoever you decide to “go public” with, just make certain that it goes well beyond your family and friends. Though your friends and family are well-meaning and will likely be very supportive of you, these types of relationships aren’t generally as effective in terms of driving a sense of accountability when it comes to daunting business goals.

Flood your Senses – There’s a form of behavioral therapy called “Flooding,” which is sometimes used by trained psychologists to treat phobias and anxiety disorders. The basic principle is that by exposing the individual to the subject of their anxiety/fear for repetitive and/or prolonged periods of time, eventually the high adrenaline and fear wanes.

I’m not suggesting that you hire a psychologist in order to achieve your goals, but what I am encouraging you to try is to immerse yourself in everything that has to do with the goal itself.

For instance, if your goal is to host a series of Home Buyer Seminars, but you have a fear of public speaking, then “flood” your senses by reading a book on how to put on great seminars, join Toastmasters.org to work on your fear of public speaking, go on Meetup.com and look for someone else’s Home Buyer Seminar that you can attend, interview a peer Loan Officer who is already hosting seminars, or visit Youtube.com and watch Home Buyer webinars. Start practicing your presentation in front of a mirror, your cats, your significant other, and eventually in front of two or three people and so on.

Set yourself up for a three-week “flooding” where every day you commit to immersing yourself in one of the activities above.

Hire an Expert – We humans tend to feel all alone in our day-to-day strife. We believe our particular set of circumstances and fears are somehow unique. However, the real truth is that no matter the goal, no matter the fears, someone else has already been there, done that!

The great news is that there are plenty of excellent people who are willing to work with you one- on-one in a consultative or coaching partnership and share all of their success secrets, tips, tools, and resources to help you move past the fear and accomplish your goals easier and faster than you ever would have achieved on your own.

Whether you are trying to recruit a winning sales team, increase the production levels of your current team, brand yourself, gain control of your time management, write a book, become a great speaker, host a radio show, home buyer seminar, or video series, hiring an expert who can demonstrate their success in helping others to achieve the same goal and move past perceived road-blocks is the fastest mode to achieving your goals with the least amount of pitfalls, setbacks, and wasted time.

Jump on-line and start investigating and interviewing the people promoting themselves as experts in your area who have the knowledge you need and the ability to help you see your goals through to the finish line.

Regardless of which of the three approaches you decide to embrace, just remember that the focus, time, and money you invest in your own growth always yields the greatest return.